To resolve a problem that in a mobile communication process, channel fluctuation results in that streaming media transmission cannot be ensured, researchers propose a dynamic adaptive steaming over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (DASH) technology. Generally, a streaming media unicast process based on the DASH technology is as follows: A content preparation (Content Preparation) party segments content of media and generates a media presentation description (Media Presentation Description, “MPD” for short) of the media, and then publishes segment content of the media and the MPD of the media to a content server; when receiving a segment request message that is sent by a DASH client and that is used to request segment content of the media, the content server sends, to the DASH client by using a response message, the segment content requested by the segment request message; and after receiving the segment content, the DASH client locally plays the segment content, and while playing the segment content, the DASH client may request next segment content of the media from the content server. The foregoing process repeats cyclically until playback of the media is completed or a user stops viewing the media.
However, as network technologies are rapidly progressed and widely popularized, a scenario in which multiple users on a same network request a same media resource often occurs, for example, on-demand playback of a currently hot film or hot competition event. If media services requested by all users are transmitted in a unicast mode, a large quantity of transmission resources are inevitably wasted. How a network centrally controls and manages requests of multiple users for a same media service to save a precious transmission resource is a problem to be urgently resolved by a network operator currently.